Canada farmers to boost wheat plantings-trade

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Record wheat prices will
probably tempt Canadian farmers to boost wheat plantings by
more than 12 percent, grain traders and analysts said ahead of
a key report from Statistics Canada on Monday.

Traders expected Statscan's planting intentions report,
slated for release Monday at 7:30 a.m. CDT (8:30 a.m. EDT), to
also show farmers will grow more oilseeds and peas, but less
barley and oats.

All-wheat plantings were forecast, on average, to rise to
24.4 million acres from 21.617 million acres last year, by
traders polled by Reuters ahead of the report.

They anticipated total seeded acreage to rise as record
prices for all crops give farmers incentive to tear up cattle
pastures and leave as little land idled as possible.

"As was the case in the U.S., it is apparent that total
acres are going to go up, as growers push to cash in on the big
prices," a broker said, adding his farmer clients continued to
make last-minute changes to crop plans, muddying forecasts.

Statscan surveyed 16,000 farmers by phone between March 20
and 31, but farmers are only now beginning to plant crops in
the southernmost parts of the Prairie grain belt.